Summer entertainment we (still) can't wait for

At times the summer months seem to drag on with their sweltering temperatures and seemingly limitless supply of eye- and skin-damaging sunshine.

But there's a less oppressive light at the end of this very bright tunnel, and it's made out of thousands of tiny pixels. Yes, I'm talking about screens, an important part of the most enjoyable summer experience: staying inside and watching shit.

Lucky for us, there are still so many summer releases to look forward to this season, from block-busting monster movies to steamy romance films, lawyer-centric dramas to Mamma Mia sequels. And we are so excited for them to come out.

Man, it's a hot one this year, so put these bad boys on your list of excuses to stay out of the sun:

Eighth Grade, July 13

The voice of Agnes in Despicable Me is all grown up! And she’s facing the painful, cringe-worthy middle school years we all have to get through. Bo Burnham’s feature film debut, Eighth Grade, promises to take a sincere and comedic look at the reality of those awkward stages in-between playground and prom—with bonus insight into what 2018 middle schoolers are experiencing.

Aside from the delightful trailer, the film’s promise is held in its Rotten Tomatoes score. A few dozen early reviews gave it a critics consensus of 98%. That’s good news for Burnham and even better news for those of us who look back fondly as ourselves at our most earnest. -Alison Foreman

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, July 20

Slap on some sparkly boots and your favorite hairbrush microphone — we’re going back to a magical Greek island. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again has everything one could want in a prequel/sequel: ABBA songs, Christine Baranski, relationship ~ drama ~. Plus Lily James is playing young Meryl Streep and Cher (yes CHER) is playing Streep’s mother. Can you honestly think of anything more blissful than sitting in some nice air conditioning eating some popcorn and watching all that? I CANNOT. -Erin Strecker

Hot Summer Nights, July 27

A24 may have another indie smash hit this summer — luckily, with a lighter tone than the record-breaking Hereditary.

In '90s Cape Cod, Daniel is trying to stumble his way through adolescence when he smokes weed for the first time. Rather than extrapolate on the size of the universe or scarf down a large cheese pizza, he opts to haphazardly enter the world of drug dealing.

Alongside It Follows star Maika Monroe, Timothée Chalamet seems primed to explore more of the Ladybird era with an exciting storyline that will begin as mischief, but quickly descend into mayhem. I love Timothée. I love drama. I love turquoise and pink cups. Let’s go. -Alison Foreman

Better Call Saul Season 4, Aug. 6

Better Call Saul’s third season finale was a heartbreaker, a tearjerker, an absolute jaw-dropper — which means that I’m facing Season 4 with equal parts dread and anticipation. We already know Mike’s gonna be okay, at least until he’s not. And we already know Jimmy won’t be, since he’s teetering on the edge of Saul-dom. But please, for the love of God, just tell me Kim makes it out of this thing unscathed. -Angie Han

The Meg, Aug. 10

Look, some days you just want to sit back, relax, and down a dino-sized bucket of popcorn while Jason Statham battles a prehistoric shark. And The Meg seems to be playing the tone exactly right, at least based on the marketing – leaning into the utter cheesiness of the premise with punny taglines (“pleased to eat you”) and on-the-nose song choices (“Beyond the Sea”). Because sometimes, the simple pleasures are the sweetest ones. -Angie Han

Insecure Season 3, Aug. 12

It's nice to live in a time where you can choose your own millennial self-discovery series, and Insecure is arguably the best choice. Issa Rae has such a distinct and powerful voice in helming the series that it's impossible to not feel part of her characters' world when you watch. It'll be a long summer, but I'm ready to see my friends again. -Proma Khosla

Crazy Rich Asians, Aug. 15

I first picked up Kevin Kwan's addictive and extravagant novel in 2015, after my roommate became a recluse in the week that it took her to read it. This is a book that belongs on the big screen, where you can witness the unimaginable opulence of characters' lives, relish the petty drama, and salivate over the food (someone fly me to Singapore, plz). -Proma Khosla

Spider-Man, Sept. 7

The web-slinger is swinging back into action on PlayStation 4 this summer and it looks absolutely amazing. Spider-Man allows you to step into the shoes and skin-tight suit of Spider-Man in an open recreation of New York City packed full of classic villains for you to live out your superhero fantasies in. It's the most beautiful and smooth-looking Spider-Man game yet, and there's no better way to ignore responsibilities and enjoy some AC than sinking dozens of hours into a Marvel simulator. -Kellen Beck

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.